The present invention relates to broadcast systems in general, and in particular to systems for collecting user feedback in a broadcast system, especially in a data broadcast system where feedback may be used for determining the content of future broadcasts.
Data broadcasting systems have been proposed as a good solution for delivering data to customers while avoiding known problems associated with the Internet. In a typical data broadcasting system a single broadcast entity broadcasts information to a multiplicity of users, each user typically associated with a personal computer, a mobile computer, an interactive television, a hand-held communication device such as a beeper or a cellular or mobile telephone, or a similar device. Each user may receive those broadcast items which the user wishes to receive. Typically but not always, each broadcast item comprises a multimedia item.
It is generally recognized that it would be desirable to obtain user feedback at the broadcast entity, the user feedback typically comprising information about types of information which each user would like to receive. However, because of the multiplicity of users it would apparently be inefficient and awkward to receive individual feedback from each user.
One system for scheduling broadcasts using customer profiles is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,257 to Herz et al. The Herz et al patent describes scheduling the receipt of desired movies or other forms of data by means of individual customer profiles describing each individual customer. A so-called xe2x80x9cagreement matrixxe2x80x9d is calculated by comparing the recipient""s profiles to the actual profiles of the available programs or other data. A virtual channel for each individual is generated from the xe2x80x9cagreement matrixxe2x80x9d, in an attempt to satisfy the desires of each individual via their own virtual channel.
PCT patent application PCT/IL98/00307 describes an electronic program guide system using an intelligent agent in which the electronic program guide may be customized based on user behavior.
The following references provide a sample of the state of the art, and are useful in understanding the present invention:
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The disclosures of all references mentioned above and throughout the present specification are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved system for providing feedback in a broadcast system, particularly in a data broadcast system. In the present invention a user profile subsystem, preferably comprising a hierarchy of cooperating agents, is used to collect and aggregate user feedback for delivery to a broadcaster. Preferably, the broadcaster uses the user feedback for determining the content of future broadcasts.
There is thus provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a system for collecting user feedback in a data broadcasting system, the system for collecting user feedback including a multiplicity of user profile agents, each user profile agent being associated with one of a multiplicity of users of the data broadcasting system and being operative to create a user profile based on activity of the one user, a user profile subsystem associated with a plurality of user profile agents chosen from among the multiplicity of user profile agents and operative to derive an integrated user profile based on the plurality of user profiles created by the plurality of user profile agents, and a broadcasting agent operatively associated with a broadcast center of the data broadcasting system and in operative communication with the user profile subsystem and receiving therefrom the integrated user profile.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the user profile subsystem includes a plurality of clustering agents, each clustering agent being operatively associated with a subset of user profile agents chosen from among the plurality of user profile agents and being operative to derive a preliminary community profile based on the plurality of user profiles created by the subset of user profile agents.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the system also includes at least one union set agent in operative communication with at least two of the plurality of clustering agents and operative to coordinate the operation of the at least two clustering agents.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the union set agent is operative to coordinate the operation of the at least two clustering agents by coordinating at least one characteristic of the preliminary community profile derived by the clustering agents.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the system also includes a community profile agent operative to derive a community profile from the preliminary community profile.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the integrated user profile includes at least one community profile.
There is also provided in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention a method for collecting user feedback in a data broadcasting system, the method including providing a multiplicity of user profile agents, each user profile agent being associated with one of a multiplicity of users of the data broadcasting system, creating, using a plurality of user profile agents from among the multiplicity of user profile agents, a plurality of user profiles based on activity of a plurality of users, deriving, using a user profile subsystem associated with a plurality of user profile agents chosen from among the multiplicity of user profile agents, an integrated user profile based on the plurality of user profiles created by the plurality of user profile agents, and utilizing a broadcasting agent operatively associated with a broadcast center of the data broadcasting system and in operative communication with the user profile subsystem and receiving therefrom the integrated user profile.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the user profile subsystem includes a plurality of clustering agents, each clustering agent being operatively associated with a subset of user profile agents chosen from among the plurality of user profile agents, and the deriving step includes deriving the integrated user profile based on the plurality of user profiles created by the subset of user profile agents.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the deriving step also includes coordinating the operation of at least two of the plurality of clustering agents using at least one union set agent in operative communication with at least two of the plurality of clustering agents.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the method also includes the union set agent coordinating the operation of the at least two clustering agents by coordinating at least one characteristic of a preliminary community profile derived by the clustering agents.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the integrated user profile includes at least one community profile.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the deriving step includes a community profile agent deriving the at least one community profile from a preliminary community profile.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the utilizing step includes modifying at least one broadcast program based, at least in part, on the integrated user profile.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the modifying includes assigning, to a program associated with a first community, items scheduled to be broadcast according to a program associated with a second community.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the assigning includes assigning based on a measure of relevancy to the first community.
There is also provided in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention a method for collecting user feedback in a data broadcasting system, the method including deriving a user profile for each of a multiplicity of data item users, clustering user profile information from at least some of the multiplicity of data item users to produce preliminary community information, modifying the preliminary community information to produce community information, and utilizing the community information for modifying a broadcast schedule.